Home Updates // The Dining Room

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Hi guys! Sorry for being away for so long, but this weekend was packed and I needed yesterday to recover from it all. We finally got around to repainting our kitchen/dining room and I cannot tell you how happy I am with it! Nor can I wait to show you guys what it looks like now. You guys got a hint of what I was up to (in terms of the color scheme) over on Instagram, and if you haven't already guessed it by now, we painted a giant wall in our dining area black! Or rather Midnight Dream by Benjamin Moore.

You're probably saying, "what?!", so let me backtrack and explain the whole thought process behind this decision. Our dining room and kitchen area are located in one space, instead of the usual two separate spaces. I'll show you photos when I reveal the statement wall so you know what I'm talking about here. But for now, just trust me on this. Because it's one giant space, we felt (when we first were thinking about paint colors) that we needed to pick a color that would work with the cabinets, countertops, and our dining table. So we went with Behr's Sesame, a light yellow/green that changed colors throughout the day depending on the light coming in. We loved it and didn't think much of it, until maybe a year ago when we started to think that maybe it's time to change the color out. The green kind of gave it the rustic, border-line shabby chic feel and honestly, we were ready for something new.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great color, but we're starting to lean more towards the modern, edgy/glam vibe for this space. Sooo, that's when we were thinking about wallpapering (ha, I say 'we' but I really mean me) and that's when the Martinique captured us. The price tag, however, did not capture us. I think if we were planning on living in this house for a long time, we wouldn't hesitate in investing in the Martinique. But because we're hoping to have another child in a few years and would love more space, we just cannot justify spending so much on wallpaper that we won't necessarily be enjoying for many years to come.

Skip to just a few weeks ago, and I started toying with the idea of just painting the wall we had in mind for the Martinique a different color. However, it wasn't until I saw the Imperial Trellis in Onyx Gloss that the idea of painting it black hit me. And I knew right then that it was a perfect compromise to myself. I really, truly wanted some kind of fantastical wallpaper to go up in the dining room, but the two wallpapers that I fell in love with were just too pricey. But having the wall painted black would really make a statement (who paints their walls black, right?? unless you're me, hehe) and anything against the wall would really pop which would allow me to have some fun with the wall art/decor. And the best part of this compromise is that Steve was totally on board with it. Yes, I realize that usually he goes along with whatever crazy idea I have, but I really love it when he agrees with me. Makes me feel less crazy for having crazy ideas.

Let's talk about the above board. When I was initially thinking about painting a black statement wall, I wanted to see examples before diving in head first and these were some of my absolute favorites that I found that gave me such great inspiration. I also wanted to show you some of our existing pieces that we are keeping that we think go really well with the new statement wall. The Ikea Tobias chairs really do the wall justice. They are statement pieces in and of themselves, yet because they are transparent, they don't take away from the wall or the table. And when we do get a new chandelier, they won't take away from that either. I also included the brushed brass hardware because as I said before our kitchen and dining room are one giant space and we think switching out the current hardware with these new brass ones will really modernize the entire room. Our cabinets are very close to a cherry wood color and have somewhat of a traditional shape (promise to show you photos soon!), not our first choices so we are making a small but impactful attempt at giving the kitchen side of the space a facelift too.

Once we get some sun coming through the windows (anyone else get hit by the snowstorm yesterday?), I'll be sure to snap some pics of the dining room to show you the progress. Stay warm if you're in this #polarvortex and if not, then I'm absolutely jealous of you. Anyone else ready for the snow to stop and for some warmer weather instead?